What You Want To See
by TheForeverGirl20
Summary: Post-Blackout What's left of team Voltron infiltrates a Garla ship to do some easy recon, little do they know that people are waiting for them. But is it really them or just what the team wants to see?


**So this is apart of my Voltron Bonding series, but it's out of order. I just really wanted to write this one first, because I don't want season three coming along and wreak my headcannons.**

The past month had been hard for the Voltron Team, with Shiro gone… It was hard. Everyone was trying to make the best of it putting themselves back together in order to be the defenders the universe needed right know.

It was hard, but not impossible

After days of practice and simulation runs, the new paladins of Voltron were finding their place on the team. Blue accepted Allura as her paladin, after a few bonding sessions with Lance. The Black lion would let Keith pilot her, but wouldn't talk or bond with him. And Red… Was Red. She'd been stubborn at first, not wanting a new paladin when she cared for her current one so much. But Lance, had wormed his way into her favor.

And yet they still couldn't form Voltron, no matter how much they trained together.

Luckily, they had not been a need for Voltron, the leader of the Garla had been defeated after all. The rest of the empire turned silent in Zarkon's absences.

But that didn't mean the universe no longer need the heroes of Voltron, they still had to pick up the pieces.

One day Pidge happens catch a distress beacon from a low level Garla ship floating in space. "Maybe they have info on Matt."

"Or Shiro." Keith added

Allura and Coran agree that it would be good to test the team. So they assume that this mission would be a good and easy way to test out their new arrangement.

Lance comes up with a plan of attack beforehand and tells the rest of the team. It would be a quick in and out mission, using only one lion, Red fast enough to get them out if things went south. Allura and Keith would check the prisons while Pidge and Hunk would hack the computers then they all would get hell out of doge.

Lance pulls Keith aside before the mission, "I'm sorry I set you up with Allura, I know things haven't been great between you two-"

"No don't worry about it, she and I are getting better and this is might help us."

Lance felt a little jealous, before he couldn't tell of who, he had once thought it was Keith for getting time with the princess. But now Lance had come to realize, standing in front of an unsure and admirable Keith, that he envied Allura.

"And besides I trust you and your skills as a battle strategist."

All feeling of jealously had dissipated at Keith's words and were replaced with adornment. Lance had reminded himself he couldn't let his feelings get the best of him. He and Keith both agreed that they wouldn't act upon their feelings for the other for the sake of Voltron and the rest of the universe.

All five paladins pile into the Red lion and Lance piloted them down to the ship.

"Hey girl," Keith greeted her.

But Red, like a bitter ex, stayed silent.

Keith didn't let it get to him though, he knew how she felt about the whole lion switching situation. They both knew it was temporary, hopefully temporary.

Once landed on the ship everyone is split up doing their part of the mission. Pidge and Hunk find the control center and start hacking away at one of the Garla computers. Allura and Keith are going through cells to rescue prisoners. All the while Lance is hovering outside in space in red making sure no Garla informants show up.

"This ship feels weird…" Hunk says over the coms.

"What do you mean big guy?" Lance asks

"It just feels, I don't know, hollow."

"Well once we get the entail and check the prisons we can leave."

Things are running smoothly too smoothly. Garla robots enter the control room and at the sight of the paladins, start shooting.

"Ahh we got company!" Pidge yells into the coms.

Lance sits up in his chair from within Red, "Do you guys need back up?" He says about to kick it into high gear.

Hunk summons his bayard, "Nah I got it," He starts shooting and runs the robots out of the room. Hunk leaves the room to defend them off, the door to the control room atomically shuts closed behind him.

"Hunk?" Pidge yells after him.

"I'm fine," Hunk calms them down, "Keep working, I'm good out here."

Keith and Allura come to a fork in the road, they look to each other.

"Well," Keith says, "I guess we should split up?"

Allura nods, "I'll go this way, if either of us find anyone we lead them to the escape pods."

"Got it." Keith and Allura go their separate ways to cover more ground.

Walking past empty cell after empty cell, Keith started to question if there even was any one imprisoned on this ship.

Till he heard a noise up from a cell up ahead.

Keith runs to the cell and summons his bayard to slice door open. At first glance the cell appeared to be empty, but tucked in a dark corner Keith could make out a huddled form.

"Hey," He said to the form, "I'm a paladin of Voltron, I'm going to get you out of here."

The form scoffs and stands up, out of instinct Keith raises his bayard to defend himself. "I know who you are."

Keith gasps sharply, "Wha-" he recognizes that voice anywhere, that was the voice that would shame his behavior. That was the voice of the true Black Paladin, his brother, Takashi Shirogane. "Shiro?"

Shiro steps into the light to revel that, yes it was him. "Keith," he says. How Keith missed that voice. "Finally found me." He brings his brother into a hug.

"We- I- and you were here?" Keith stuttered out, he pushes his way from his brother. "I have to tell the others!" Just as he says that his coms only reach static. "Oh well, we'll just go find them." He pulls on Shiro's arm like a child, but Shiro doesn't budge.

"Keith," Shiro says calmly, "I'll be the Black Paladin again."

"What?"

The silence was starting to get to Lance as waits anxiously above the ship. Red wasn't much of a talker, Keith had warned him, but at least when he was back with Blue she would beam comforting thoughts into his head.

The former Blue Paladin had come to learn that the Red Lion was more literal and vocal with her communication. Back with Blue, Lance would receive clear thoughts and ideas telegraphed to his mind. Red however, would straight up scream commands loudly into his head, and she was not a patient kitty.

He didn't know why he was on edge, this was an easy recon mission, one that he basically planed. His team was fine down there, they could handle themselves.

Lance's inner monologue was interrupted by a low snarl vibrate through the lion and within his mind.

Red

Lance puts his hands on her paneling "Woah their girl, what's the problem?"

 _Keith._ Red growls into Lance's head

"Wha- What about him?" Lance nervously asks the giant robot lion.

 _Trouble._

Lance lets out a sigh, "When isn't he?"

 _Go to him._ She turns on her engines engage without Lance's command.

"No, no nope, big girl." Lance says trying to calm Red, "Hold on, let me try to contact him."

Red growls again, more out of acceptance than anger.

Lance goes for his coms, "Yo Keith, Big Red's worried about you." He says nonchalantly, "You good?"

Static.

"Oh, that's not good."

 _GO TO HIM._ Red screams loud enough to give Lance a head ache.

Lance tries to maintain himself in the angry lion, "Come on, girl." he rubs his temple through his helmet, "It's probably nothing, I'll just get a hold of Coran." He adjusts the coms once again. "Hey Coran, how we are looking up there?"

Static.

"Ok, that's not good either." Lance says in defeat.

 _GO. TO. HIM._ Red roars blaring all her systems.

Not a patient Kitty.

Lance freaks out, pushing as many buttons as his hands could reach, "Whoa, whoa their Kitty." He strokes her control panel. "You can't just go in their guns blazing, it will wreak the mission."

 _Keith._ Red whines.

"I know, I know." His voice smoothly her down form the high stress, "I'm worried too." Lance thinks for a moment, "How about I go down there and check on him… And everyone else."

 _Fine._ Red slows her decent onto the ship, landing softly on the exterior.

"Thank you."

Hunk was still fighting off what was left of the Garlan robots outside the control room that held Pidge.

The Yellow Paladin has himself covered he could handle a few junk bots, he shoots with a near perfect accuracy. The bots fell to the floor in shambles with each blast.

Though one bot had escaped Hunk's line of sight, sneaking up from behind. Before Hunk had time to react a blast came from behind him.

Hunk turned around to see the bot dead on the ground with a blast mark in it's back, one he didn't make.

"What the-" He looks up to the reveal of Shay, the Balmeran, proudly holding a blaster.

He runs to her with open arms, "Shay!"

"Hunk!" She calls back with equally open arms.

The two embrace the other in a sweet hug, Hunk pulled away suddenly "Wait-What are you doing here?"

"Well after you saved Balmera, I was so inspired I joined a group of rebels!"

"No way! That's great!"

"Yes, and it's all because of you."

Hunk blushes, "Oh, well- you know- it's my job."

Shay wrapped he long arms back around her human friend, "I'm so glad we ran into each other!"

Hunk smiles brightly, "Me too!"

Pidge was cut off from Hunk, but that didn't stop them from working, their fingers franticly pressing keys on the computer. They had a job and they did that job well

When suddenly familiar voice stirs them from their work.

"Pidge, is that you?"

They turn around to see stand a few feet away in a Garrison issued space suit, their brother, Matt Holt.

Pidge is so beside themselves with joy, that they halted their work on the computer and ran to their brother's side. Their arms lock around Matt's waist with their head landing on his chest, knocking the air at of him.

"Ummf" Matt lets out, "Hey there, kiddo!"

Pidge lift's their head up to further examine the boy before them. Looking up at his face, Pidge sees the face in the photo they've kept on their person since they went to the Garrison.

"It is you," Pidge says face slamming back into Matt's chest, "I found you, I finally found you. "I never gave up, even when the Garrison said you were dead. Fuck the Garrison!"

Matt brings up a hand to his younger sibling's hair and gently pets the short burette locks. "You cut your hair." He says, "Mom's gonna be piiissssed."

Pidge pulls away from their brother whipping a falling happy tear on their check, "What are you doing here? How did you get here? Where did the Garla take you, how did-" they speed through asking a question a mile a minute.

"Woah slow down there, space cadet." Matt says putting both hands on their shoulders, "I was a prisoner on this ship, then some alien on your team named Allura released me."

"Hey, Matt," Pidge smiled with childish glee, "Aliens are real!"

Matt laughs with them, "I'm fully aware, Pidge."

Allura scouts the empty cell after empty cell, no prisoners not even guards. Nothing, maybe this block wasn't being used. Allura sighs, hopefully Keith has found something on his end.

The urge to give up and join her fellow paladin was starting to take over. Splitting up wasn't a good idea in the first place. When a sudden noise caught her attention.

A weak, "Hello," coming from the cell she just passed.

Looking through the opening in cell door, Allura couldn't see anything. She swears she heard something a moment ago, could she have just imagined it?

The princess was about to give up when she hears it again, "Hello?" The call was stronger this time.

"Hold on." Allura decided it was time to act, she pulled out the blue bayard, transforming it into a long battle staff. "Stand back," she warned. A few blunt hits and the door caved into the cell, hopefully whoever was here had heaved her warning.

When the dust clears Allura looks to around the room and sees her father in full battle armor.

"Allura?"

"You- You're dead" she says he voice shaking.

"No, my child." Alfor spoke causing Allura to jolt. "I'm alive and well."

"H-How?"

"After the attack on the castle all those years ago, Zarkon took me captive here."

"But, how is that possible-"

Alfor cuts he off with a gentle touch to her arm, "I'm so proud of you, Allura."

Allura swallows her questions, and her eyes began to water.

Lance now in the ship sneaks through passage ways with the red bayard up and armed. He knew he was going against the plan, the plan he came up with. But it was better for him to come down here alone than have Red bust through the haul of the ship, shooting everyone into space. Maybe that was her plan all along, she did have a thing for catching Keith while he floated in space. But would she catch everyone else, would Red catch Lance?

Lance shakes his head trying snap himself back to what really mattered. The mission, or at least this small distraction that was still a part of the big picture of the mission.

Turning around corner, and nearly runs into something, someone. He aims the red bayard at the figure, finger on the trigger. However, after a moment of adjusting and a mullet caught his eye.

"Keith!" Lance shrieks louder than he expected. "Shit Keith don't sneak up on me like that." He lowers the bayard and it transforms back to its neutral form.

"Sorry Coms were down," Keith responded, his hands in the air reflectively, "what are you doing here?"

"Red thought you were in trouble," he points back to where he landed Red, "and I didn't want her blowing up the whole ship up."

A corner of Keith's lips rises into a smirk, "Sounds like Red." He says with a soft chuckle.

Lance heart flutters when sees Keith's smile, "Yeah so I came down, to see…" Lance clears his throat, "if you know… you were ok."

Keith looks to him with a sparkle in his purple-grey eyes, "I am now…" Lance swears it almost sounded like Keith exhaled sweetly.

A nervously gulp is heard from Lance's throat as a blush quickly spread across his face.

Allura places a hand on her father's chest plate, felling that he is solid, "It really is you…"

Alfor chuckles, "Yes, why wouldn't be?"

"A while ago the castle and you're on board memory were corrupted," Allura recalled bitterly, "the Garla used your image against me."

"Well this is me," he places his hand over Allura's, "the Garla will never use me again."

"Oh, Father," Allura smiles through happy tears, "Coran going to be so happy to see you again!"

Back up in the Coran was checking all the monitors and computers on board, something was wrong. According to the Castle the only life forms on the ship were the five paladins, no guards, soldiers, or prisoners. He had to warn the paladins to be careful.

"Princess? Princess? Come in?"

Static.

"Oh, this isn't good," He said to himself, he typed a few things into the ship's control. And what he found made his jaw drop, apparently the ship was causing some sort of cerebral interference.

Coran amplified the coms system in hopes to get a better signal to the Paladins, "For the love of Quiznak don't trust anything you see!" He yells, but to no avail.

Static

Keith, the real Keith, stood there in the door way of a cell still reeling at what Shiro just said. "What, you mean you'll be the Black Paladin again?"

Shiro cocks his head, "Sure, is that okay?"

"I-I- I mean sure, but you wanted me to be the lead so badly."

"Yes, because I trusted you to lead the team in my absence." Shiro smiles at his younger brother, "You were so reluctant, I told you'd be great."

"I don't know- I mean it's okay I guess…" Keith stutters.

"Well I'm back now, so you don't have to lead anymore."

Pidge back at the commuter now accompanied by their older brother.

"So," Matt breaks their concentration on the Hologic screen, "Have you found Dad yet?"

Pidge is reluctant to answer at first, "No," saddened by her frailer, "not yet, but with your help we can find him in no time."

"Man, mom is going to kill us when we all get back to Earth."

"Yeah, god I miss her."

"Same, but now the Holts back together again." He flung an arm over their shoulder.

"Back together again' Pidge repeats him in a dream tone.

Hunk has picked up Shay is carelessly twirling her around as they both laughing unaware.

"Hunk put me down I'm getting dizzy!" Shay says through a fit of giggles.

"I'm sorry, I just missed you!"

"Not as much as I missed you."

Hunk sets her down, "Isn't kind of weird, though?" He looks around at the empty hall way.

Shay cocks her head, "What's weird?"

"I don't know it's just we happen to meet up again on a the same Garla ship, that's only inhabitant by robots."

Shay blinks, "No."

"You're right, who cares!' he picks her up again and spins her some more

Lance still blushing he rubs the back to his neck, avoiding eye contact at all costs. "Well turns out your fine and mamma Red was just extraditing again, soooo I'm just gonna.." he turns to leave.

Keith aggressively grabs his hand, "Lance wait," he looks straight into Lace's eye and right into his soul, "can I kiss you?" He asks without skipping a beat, but Lance's heart may have

Lance whole face burst out red as his new lion, "K-Keith what?"

"You know how I feel about you," Keith says with a smoothness Lance didn't recognizes, "I know how you feel about me." He inched ever so closer to Lance.

"K-K-Keith we-we can't, we talked about this… We- you said it could ruin Voltron."

"I don't care about what I said," Keith holds on to Lance's hand tighter, "You were right, it's better we just get together. You are always right."

"I-I don't know about that," Lance said coming off a little smugger then he intended.

"No you are, we can't just bottle our feelings." He steps closer to Lance, still holding his hand like he never wanted to let go. "Lance your amazing. I like you, and I want to be with you."

Lance's face lit up with a smile, "Keith…" he found himself trapped by Keith's words, they lolled him closer to the boy. But he caught himself, snapping back to reality, Lance remembered where they were. On a mission, and he had to keep focuses, "We can't! The mission, Voltron… The others."

Keith leans forward lifting their intertwined hands bring them up to his lips, ghosting over Lance's skin. Lance held his breath, "I should have kissed you that night in the observatory…" Keith says gently rubbing his supple lips against each of Lance's covered knuckles.

Lance dry swallows, "W-which night?" he asks voice cracking.

"Every night," Keith looks up into Lance's eyes, "or any other time we were alone together…"

Lance puts his free hand through Keith's hair, "Keith…" his voice was fading. Considering Keith's eyes Lance saw something different, a dark desire, he was almost scared if not over powered by excitement.

Keith leans in to Lance, "Let's make up for lost time," he whispers to Lance's lips, "Shall we?"

And with that Keith's lips were on Lance's, greed pushing him forward. Lance's grip on Keith's hair tightened and he couldn't help the fluttering of his eyes as they closed completely. Lance smiles into the kiss.

Keith felt something was off, about this whole ship. Hunk had been right when they first came aboard. Something was off, but oddly familiar…

"Shiro, I-"

"Isn't that what you want? To go back to Red?"

"I mean yes, I would love that but-"

"But what?" Shiro places a hand on Keith's shoulder, "I promise I won't ever abandoned you again."

Something was definitely wrong, Hunk had been right, the entire ship had a bad aura. The way Shiro is talking to him isn't normal, not robotic. But hollow…

Keith almost had a similar sensation, like he'd been here before…

He shoves Shiro's hand off him, "No," he takes a step back, "I have to find Allura."

He turns to leave but is stopped by a high and regal sounding voice, "Keith."

At the sound of his own name, Keith turns back around to see where Shiro once stood was now Allura, "I'm sorry that my hate for the Garla still puts a strain on our friendship."

Keith stands their shocked, but not surprised, "I knew it… You're not real."

And just like that Allura disappears, somehow blinking out of existence.

He turns to leave, but is stopped yet again by another feminine voice, but it wasn't Allura, in fact he barely recognizes it.

Keith slowly turns his head to face a new form. The figure is less mobile than the other visions before it, it's more reminiscent of a still photograph.

It's blurrily and dark, like trying to remember a foggy memory. And Keith swears he's seen it before, he's had to otherwise it wouldn't be in front of him now. Whoever was behind this was using his own memory against him.

The figure's head snaps with such a speed it causes Keith to take a step back up, but it doesn't move any further, it just stares at him. He couldn't make out the face clearly but he could see its eyes, her eyes. Eyes that he's seen many times staring back at him in mirrors. They were his eyes. He has her eyes.

"Mo…. Mom?" Keith's voice shaking as he speaks.

"Keith…"

Keith slowly backs out of the room before breaking out into a full sprint down the corridor. He had to find Allura and get the rest of the team back in Red and off this ship.

Keith to a full stop when he reaches the intersection before. He takes a moment to recall which direction Allura went when they split off.

He hears a giggle way off to the left, that had to be the Princess.

His feet begin to move again before he can think. "Allura?" He calls out while running towards the laughter.

Keith harshly turned a corner of one of the cells and sees Allura sitting on the ground. She was laughing and having a conversation with someone, but to Keith there was no one there.

The Princess sees him standing in the door way, "Keith!" she smiles with delight, "Meet my Father, King Alfor." She gestures to nothing, "He was kept prisoner on this ship all this time."

"Princess…" This was probably the happiest he's ever seen the Altean, besides the other time she was tricked into seeing her father. "No one's there…"

The smile disappears from her face, "No… It's really him this time… I know it is…"

"It's the Garla, Princess." Keith says calmly.

Allura shakes her head violently, "No, this couldn't happen again…" She looks back to the empty corner. "It's him this time, I know-"

"Princess, please. We have to find the others and get out of here." Keith says in the most comforting voice he can muster. He reaches for her arm to pull her up, but she pulls away instantly.

Keith lets out a sigh, he knows how she feels, but they don't have time. The ship was a trap, who knows what the Garla's true intentions are.

"Try to imagine someone else," he reasons with the stubborn princess, "Coran, maybe."

Allura gaze returns to the empty corner, her eyes widen with relation, "Co- Coran?"

"See?" Keith says reaching for her arm again, "It shows you what you want to see, it's fake."

Allura rises to her feet with Keith's help, "It's fake," She echoes regaining herself.

"Yeah, now come on we have to find the others." he pulls her out of the cell without a fight.

"You're right," She nods, paining herself from looking back.

The two Paladins start running to find their other teammates, calling them through the coms.

"Lance!" Keith yells into the intercom, "Take red to the extraction point, the mission has been compromised!"

But Lance didn't respond, Keith only heard static.

"I've tried contacting the castle, but Coran isn't answering."

"Quiznak." Keith grits his teeth, "I can't get ahold of Lance either."

"We need to find Pidge and Hunk."

"Right."

They run side by side and they reach the Yellow Paladin in front of the control room, strangely he had his arms wrapped around an invisible form. He too was under the hold that the ship gave off.

Hunk spots his two team mates, "Guys!" He drops his arms, as if gently putting down the unseen figure. "Shay's here, and she's a part of a rebel group!"

Keith and Allura exchange a sympathetic look, then back to their confused friend. Of course Hunk saw Shay, the rock alien was a dear friend of the left leg of Voltron. But they had to snap him out of this trance, and get the Quiznak off this ship.

"Hunk," Allura spoke tenderly, "Shay isn't there."

Brown eyes traveled to the Balmeran that wasn't there, "No," he points to nothing, "She's right here." Hunk chuckles unaware, "You guys going blind or something?"

Allura leans in closer to confided with Keith, "I'll get those doors open for Pidge if you take care of him."

Keith nods at the plan, he cautiously moves closer to his teammate trying not to further disturb a confused Hunk. Allura splits off from Keith to attended to the locked door to control room which held Pidge.

A grunt followed by a crash of a staff meeting the door panel was heard through the hall. The large doors slide open and Allura slips in, leaving Keith to his own devices with Hunk.

This would be Keith's second time waking someone from the ships power, third if he counted himself. "Think about it, Hunk," Keith once again employed a softer tone, "Last time you saw Shay she was refusing to leave her dying planet. Do you really think she would abandon the Balmera?"

Hunk stunned by his words casting his gaze back to a nonexistent Shay, "You're right," he whispers, "Her story was pretty farfetched." He blinks a few times and with new found clarity Hunk turns to face Keith, "What just happened?"

"It's the ship," he answers, "We have to go to the extraction point, I'll explain on the way."

Keith starts running again and Hunk follows close behind.

Allura slips into the control room of the Garla ship to see Pidge hard at work hacking the system. The princess breathed a sigh of relief, perhaps the ship hadn't gotten to the Green Paladin.

The thought was interrupted when Allura caught Pidge making a comment to no one. She could easily chock it up to Pidge talking to them self, but knowing this ship I was a different story.

"Pidge?" Allura calls out.

The youngest paladin turns from their work to Allura with a goofy grin, "You did it!" Pidge rushes to her and locks her in a tight embrace, "You found him!"

Allura gasps, "Wha- Pidge who are you talking about?"

Pidge scoffs, "Come on Allura, Matt told me you released him," they gesture behind them to nothing.

"Pidge," she says with remorse, "No one's there…"

The green Paladin steps back, "Of course there is," their tone turning defensive, "it's Matt, my brother."

"Pidge, I know how you feel, believe me, I do. But there is no one there."

"No!" Pidge pushes her away, "I found him, after months of searching I finally found my brother!"

Allura's heart sank, she knew the importance of family, she'd seen her father for Quiznak sake, she understood what they were experiencing. "Please, Pidge," She knew that the only way to snap them out of it was with they worked with best, logic and reasoning "Think about it, something doesn't add up."

Pidge takes a moment to reflect, "He… he called me Pidge," they mumble unsure of them self. "There's no way he'd know I go by that now, unless did you-"

"I didn't tell him Pidge, because he's not really here."

"I knew it was too good to be true…"

"I'm sorry Pidge, but we have to meet the others at the extraction point."

Pidge nods their head and follows Allura out of the control room.

Lance felt like he died and went to space heaven, he and Keith were still making out, and Lance couldn't be happier.

Their kissing had gotten rougher, Lance's helmet had experienced a few collisions of Keith's head. Keith had become more aggressive, and Lance wasn't complaining.

"Take your helmet off," Keith commands with a growl, it reminded Lance of how Red spoke to him. "I wana see more of that beautiful face."

Lance removed his hands from Keith soft hair, ( _God was it always this soft?)_ to do as he was told. His helmet fell to the floor carelessly, Keith's was missing in action. Odd, wasn't he wearing his when they landed?

But Lance couldn't worry about that now, not while Keith pushed him up against a wall, cradling Lance's head due to lack of protection.

"Beautiful…" Keith's voice breathy and hot on Lance's lips, "Do you even know how amazing you are?" Keith went to attack what expose skin Lance's suit had left on his neck

"I- uh what- ah-"

"An amazing shot," kiss to the jaw, "Sharpshooter," another kiss on his lips, "Battle strategist." Kiss, kiss.

Lance laughers nervously, all of Keith's flattery was going to his head and making him feel dizzy.

"Want you by my side," Keith's lips trail up to Lance's ear, "And on top of me~" his smooth voice glides into Lance's ear and reverberate in his brain.

Lance's nervous turns into a silent shriek from the back of his throat. They were moving fast, too fast, but he didn't want to stop. To Lance this was a dream come true, one of those messy dreams he didn't like to think about.

Everything else faded away; the mission, the team, space itself. All gone and replaced with the pressure of being between a wall and Keith's body as well as his lips on any exposed caramel skin.

A kiss there, a compliment there, Keith was busy at work on the new Red Paladin. Lance tried to reciprocate the action but every time he puckers his lips to kiss back, a moan would escape his agape mouth. It was even harder to get a word in edge wise, Lance couldn't think of anything on the same level and if he did the words would die on his tongue. Keith had never been this wordy before, but here he is a flowing river of adornment.

Keith pulled his lips away from Lance's face, and Lance felt cold from the missing heat of the other paladin. Keith places hands of either side of Lance's head, with a heavy gaze.

"Lance," Keith pants out, his stare was less intense and more tender. "God..." His smiles was a powerful force that nearly knocked Lance off his feet. "I think I lov-"

"Lance?"

Lance's head snaps way from Keith's gaze, to see his yellow friend look to him with confusion. "Hunk!" In an act of self-preservation from embarrassment, Lance pushes Keith off himself. "It's not what it looks like," he stutters, "We were- we were just- uh um-"

Hunk puts his hands up to stop him, "Listen Lance, we don't have time for you to defend whoever you were sucking face with cause they aren't real."

Lance scoffs, "What of course he's real, it's Kei-"

"Hunk, did you find something?" a voice calls down from the corridor coming closer until the owner of said voice joins the Yellow Paladin, revealing themselves as none other than Keith Kogane. "Lance?" he addresses Lance, "What are you doing down here?"

Lance's pupils dilate, "KEITH?!" he screamed form shock. He looked to Keith- the other Keith, the one he was heavy duty making out with- only to look at nothing. It was gone

Keith- the real Keith- turns to Hunk, "Did you snap him out of it already?"

"Uhh I think so?"

"Good." Keith walks over to Lance, grabbing his arm. "The ships a trap, we have to get out of here. Where's Red?"

It takes all of Lance's remaining will power not to pass out, he points behind him stuttering out nonsense.

Pidge and Allura come running up to join the rest of the team, "We good to go?" Pidge says almost out of breath from all the running around.

"Yeah, let's get hecky out of here," Hunk says.

The four of them start running again passing a flabbergasted Lance, who continued to stare at the space that one occupied a sultry version of his friend and team mate.

"Lance come on!" he heard a voice and recognized it as the true Keith. "We can't leave without you."

With that Lance let his legs follow his team straight to Keith's lion- err his lion.

As they all pile into Red, Lance he's what sounds like a laugh. But none of the paladins were laughing. It was Red, she was making fun of him.

 _You found him alright!_ Red says in Lance's head with a joking tone.

 _Shut up, Red._ Lance thought back.

"Red?" Keith says aloud startled, it had been weeks since Red would even look at him and now she was laughing in his head. _Who found Who?_ He asks her.

 _Sent him to check on you._ She viably points to Lance, who as trying not to lose his chill.

Keith looks to Lance, "You came to check on me?" He says aloud confusing everyone else in the lion.

"Yeah, but your fine now, so let's get the hell out of here." He speaks fast as he throws the giant lion into gear.

 _Shut. Up. Red._

But the Red lion continues laughing in Lance's head, and he prayed she stop broadcasting it to Keith.

Once they were far enough from the ship, they are able to contact with Coran again.

"It's a trap! It's a great big trappy trap!" His voice ringing through the working coms.

Allura sighed at her guardian, "We know Coran."

"We're heading back to the castle now." Lance's tells him.

"And Coran." Keith says with a seriousness that scared everyone else.

"Yes?"

"Blow that shit ship up."

Once docked in the Red Lion hanger team Voltron makes their way to the control deck where Coran waits for them.

"I'm glad none of you are hurt, what happen down there?"

Pidge heads over to the main computer to check the file they downloaded off the ship, "I'm about to find out."

"We saw things…"

"Things, what kind of things?"

"People." Allura spoke, "I saw my father, the Garla used my father's image against me again!"

"Alfor, but how?"

"I think I know how," Keith pipes up "Back on the Blade of Marmora's base I went through a trial that made me see things, and people…"

"So you think the ship was equipped with the same tech as Marmora?" Hunk asks him.

"I guess, it felt the same…"

"But it wasn't a hologram this time I felt my father, he was solid… He was there."

"Yeah and I could smell the dumb cologne Matt always wears," Pidge mumbles from behind the computer.

Lance thinks back to tasting Keith's lips when they kissed, bring his fingers to trace the remnants of the false warmth.

"Maybe the tech messes with all five senses" Hunk says looking to Keith for confirmations

"I guess, I remember Kolivan saying that the suit I was wearing projects my hopes and dreams, but none of us were wearing the suit. I don't get it."

"The Garla- you know the bad ones- probably used the same idea but amplified it to a wider scale." Hunk added on.

"How did you know?" Pidge asks from behind the computer.

"Well I saw Shiro, and it reminded me of The Trials of Marmora, then when it turned into Allura it conformed my suspicion."

"You saw Allura?" Lance asked sounding more jealous than he wanted.

"Yeah, when I felt uneasy I thought I need to find Allura and get out."

"I appreciate your concern, Keith."

"Lance you've been strangely quiet," Coran says, "Who did you see?"

All eyes were on Lance, he obviously couldn't tell the truth. "Uuuuuuh my mom."

Hunk takes a double take, "Your mom?!" said the Yellow Paladin that caught his friend making out with an illusion.

Lance looks to his best friend with a face that read _Shut up and go with it._

Hunk stands down but it doesn't disturb him any less, Sigmund Freud be damned.

From behind the main computer a gasp as heard coming from the Green Paladin. "There's nothing…" they mumbled.

Everyone turned their heads looking to Pidge, who had their fists balled up on top of the control panel.

"What'd you say, number 5?" Coran asks them.

"The ship's file is empty," they grumble through their teeth, "It had nothing!"

The room goes silent, everyone looks to everyone else. Hoping someone would step up and have an explanation or at least some encouragement. A job that once was filled by their missing Black Paladin.

But no one did.

Everyone spoke over the other instead.

"There were no prisoners on that ship either."

"And there were only robots defending it."

"I don't get it? Then what was the point of showing us are loved ones?"

"Why distract us from nothing?"

"Were the Garla just fucking with us?"

The room goes silent again. Team Voltron was exhausted emotionally and physically. Their first mission with their new arrangement wasn't a failure but it wasn't a win either. Nothing was lost but equally nothing was gained.

Allura looks over to Keith, both still reeling from the ship. They share a solemn nod, and Allura steps forward. "I think it's best if we put this behind us, and call it a day."

"The Princess is right." Keith follows up, "We should move on from this."

The rest of the team agrees splits off to sleep off today's events. Luck for them they didn't need to form Voltron.

As everyone exists the control room Keith calls out to Lance, who begins to panic at his voice.

Did Keith know what Lance really saw on the ship, would this compromise their friendship/ mutual acknowledged crushes? They talked about how they felt about each other weeks ago, would they have to revisit that conversation? All questions Lance asked himself as Keith jogged to him.

"Hey, you okay? You've been acting funny since we got back."

"Uh fine just a little spooked, you know?"

"Right." Keith looks off.

Lance looked to his new leader with concern, "You saw Shiro and Allura?"

"Yeah but it obviously wasn't them."

Lance's scoffs, "Well duh, but what do you mean?"

"They were acting weird, they were saying things out of character. Stuff I wanted to hear."

"How so?"

"Shiro said he'd be the leader again and I could go back to red, and Allura apologized for her behaver around me."

"Oh…" Lance thinks back to how Ship-Keith was talking to him giving him compliments and buttering him up. Something the real Keith would never do, he knew firsthand how he handle his feelings. Keith was blunt, but lacked emotional understanding. And he's never been that confident or directed. "Same happened to me…"

It was fake, he had to keep remining himself. It was all fake.

"You saw your mom, right?" The genuine Keith asks. "I know how much you miss your family…"

"Yep saw my mom, no one else!" Lance blabbers, but he shuts up when he sees Keith awkwardly teetering. "Why do you ask?" He tried to steer the subject of himself and back to Keith.

"Because-" He blows out air, "Allura and Shiro aren't the only ones I saw… I think- I think I saw my mother…"

"What? Like your Garla mom! How do you know?"

"I don't know, my dad always said she left when I was little, but I swear it was her…" Keith pauses for a moment, "Like- like an early memory…"

Lance hesitantly puts a hand on his shoulder, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm just tried…"

"Same let's just sleep this weird day off"

"Yeah…"

Lance thinks back to how the fake Keith looked prefect too prefect, like a dream. His features were softened, his edges rounded off. Lance could still feel the silky strains of his hair through his gloves.

He glances over to the real Keith to check him out, in more ways than one. His eyes were sunken in with dark circles underneath. He hadn't been sleeping, and Lance knew because he could hear his neighbor pace during the night. As for Keith's hair although it looked silky it was in fact greasy and clung to the side of his face. The boy was more of a mess than usual.

And God did Lance want to kiss him, comfort him, be there for him. Lance wanted to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be alright. That they would find Shiro, his only known family. Lance wanted to confide in him too, tell him what was on his mind.

This was the real Keith, the Keith he confessed to and mutually agreed to do nothing about their feelings for the sake of Voltron. The Keith that drove him up a wall with his hotheaded temper and impulsive nature. The Keith that Lance found himself slowly falling for more and more each day.

That was the Keith that Lance would follow into battle.

Each of the Paladins of Voltron went off to try and prosses the mission. None of them went directly to sleep though, sleep hadn't come easy after Shiro's disappearance.

They all tried to ward off their demons of today's mission.

But unbounded to them a new force of power had been watching them.

 **I was really excited to write this one! Hope you liked it. Comments are literally my life blood and are much appreciated!**


End file.
